Polyg lot ™ Volume #4

Issue #19
The language of gaming

Blue Panther Announces Small Games

Design Contest for Summer 2010
“Great Games Come In Small Packages”
Blue Panther is introducing a x 3.5cm)
new series of small games – these 4. Game must be
games come in small packages, and played in 30 minutes
are designed to be played in 30 or less
minutes or less. The first game 5. Game can be on
in the series will be from any theme (except
the winner of this conest! mature themes)
Unlike some competitions, 6. You can use
there are definite size and a d d i t i o n a l
component challenges here. They components to
are: cards and dice (e.g.
tokens, pawns, etc)
1. The game must use at least one die 7. All entries should be
(normal or custom engraved) sent in PDF format,
2. The game must use at least one set including a copy
of cards (30 card minimum, 60 card maximum). Cards of the rules, diagrams/illustrations of components,
can be any size or shape up to 3.5 x 2.5 inches in size. examples of play etc. All entries should be sent in English
(8.9 cm x 6.4 cm) via email only.
3. The game must fit inside the same dimensions as our
“Card Tower” product. That is, ALL components must fit Continued on next page
inside a box the size of 3.5” x 2.5” x 1.375” (8.9cm x 6.4cm

Blue Panther Announces Small Games Design Contest
for Summer 2010_____________________________ 1
GR Preorder program to help retailers_____________ 2
July 2010 News from Flying Buffalo_______________ 3
Classic Moorcock RPGs at Drivethru_ ____________ 4
There Be MONSTRES In The DUNGEON!_ _______ 5
News from Avalanche Press_ ___________________ 6
More Guests and Exhibitors for Fan Expo 2010______ 7
Sixth Anniversary Sale and Other News_ __________ 8
BP series of products exclusively at Herobuilders.com _8
Sign up for the FREE eSeminar on 20th July: Importing
video and using video control buttons_____________ 9
CanCon: The Conference for Canadian Speculative Arts
and Literature_______________________________ 9
Tips from AstroPrinting.com_ _________________ 10
Newest Featured Reviews from DriveThruRPG.com_ 12
McKenzie Files_____________________________ 16
Printing and Design Tips from Printing Industry
Exchange_________________________________ 17
Tips from About.com________________________ 18
Stan Lee Headlines Arcana’s SDCC Plans!_________ 19
0one News, July 2010_________________________ 21
Prolific Writer’s Techno Thriller Envisions Future
Europe___________________________________ 22
Bits and Pieces from Mongoose Publishing________ 23
Federation Commander Miniatures_ ____________ 24
Out This Week - Sex, Dice and Gamer Chicks!_ ____ 25
Savage Mojo Presents Noir Knights Release Month__ 26
2010 ENnie Award Nominees_ _________________ 27
Dark Sword Miniatures News – 6 new greens posted_ 29
IPG releases “Knock Down, Drag Out”___________ 30
Gorilla Games to Release “Lifeboat” 3rd Ed in August _31
News from Forge World______________________ 32
Margaret Weis Productions announces their new
Preferred Retailer Program! ___________________ 33
2 Live Betas: Race the World & Fight for Honor!____ 34
Robot Entertainment Developing PC RTS Spartan for
Microsoft Game Studios______________________ 35
Open meeting at Casual Connect AND Openings for
Steering Committee Members__________________ 35
Tech news from ZDNet_ _____________________ 36
DJ Hero Sells 1.2M Units Despite Early Sales Concerns_37
News from GameIndustry.com_________________ 38
Legal notice regarding the content of Polyglot™_ ___ 40

A free publication by Polymancer® Studios, Inc..

20 Weredale Park, Westmount QC, H3Z 1Y6 CANADA
(514) 667-1585 (Canada) • Skype: Polymancer • Twitter: Polymancer
polyglot@polymancerstudios.com, www.polymancer.com

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Continued from previous page
An example of a game that would fit in this format is a
resizing of the BP game Duck Duck Boom. 30 cards, 2 custom
dice, 30 small tokens and a one page rulebook folded to fit
into the box.
Entries should be sent to SmallGameContest@
bluepantherllc.com. Deadline is August 10th, 2010.
Blue Panther will choose the contest winners by August
31, 2010.
First place winner will get their game published by Blue
Panther in 2011. If there’s more than one great design, there
will be more than one first place winner.
Second place winner will receive a free BP standard $50
prototype package for any of their game designs.
GR Preorder program to help retailers
At Green Ronin we have always valued our partners in
the retail and distribution tiers. We love good game
stores and we want to see them thrive in the new
millennium. To that end we are launching GR
Pre-Order Plus, a new program for retailers.
This will allow gamers to pre-order our new
products through their local game stores and
receive the same special deals on PDFs that
we offer in our online store.
Program Details
GR Pre-Order Plus is open to confirmed
brick and mortar retail stores. Members will
be notified when one of our products is ready
for pre-order and each will receive a batch of
unique codes via e-mail. When a customer
pre-orders the product through a member
store, the staff need simply pass a code to the
purchaser in any way they prefer (e-mail, business card, slip
of paper, etc.). The purchaser can then go to the Green Ronin
online store and buy the PDF of the product they just pre-
2
Do not send physical prototypes. They will be discarded
and not returned after the contest ends. Blue Panther does
not sign non-disclosure agreements. Please do not submit
any designs that are currently being offered to any other
game publisher or designs that have either been published or
self-published in the past. You must own the copyright to the
work in order to submit it to Blue Panther.
™
This contest is global in scope – any entrant from any
country will be given equal consideration.
Good Luck!
Blue Panther LLC, founded in 2006, is a publisher of games, dice towers and game accessories. Blue
Panther provides game prototype and short run production services. Check out our products and
services at www.bluepantherllc.com
ordered for a reduced cost (typically $5) using the
code. The Green Ronin online store will offer the exact
same terms (pre-order the book, get the PDF for
cheap). This will allow customers to pre-order at
their local stores and get the same deal as those
who purchase direct from Green Ronin.
To sign up for GR Pre-Order Plus, simply
send an e-mail with your store’s information
(name, location, web site, preferred e-mail) to
sales@greenronin.com. Let us know if you’d
like to be listed in our website’s retail locator;
we can show you how to set that up, as well as
list you as a member of the program. You’ll get
10 codes to start but if you use them all, simply
e-mail again and we’ll send you more.
The first release using the program will be
the highly anticipated DC Adventures RPG.
We want to start it off with a bang and DC
Adventures will do just that.
Bill Bodden Sales Manager, Green Ronin Publishing
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July 2010 News from Flying Buffalo
Just had my traditional dinner with family and friends at
Monti’s La Casa Vieja (a memorable old steakhouse) and
then sat in their parking lot and watched fireworks over the
Tempe Town Lake sunday. It was a lovely way to celebrate the
4th. I hope you all had a great holiday also.
NUCLEAR WAR CARD GAME: It has been
out of stock since the first of the year, unfortunately.
Well, we will have it available again by the end of
July. (Hopefully in time for our Party on July 22nd).
I will definitely have it available by Gencon. If you
have been waiting for it to come back in print so
you can order all four games (Nuclear War, Nuclear
Escalation, Nuclear Proliferation, Weapons of Mass
Destruction) go check out our web page specials at
http://www.flyingbuffalo.com/special.shtml
The two new Hobby Japan Queens Gate books
are now available. They are: Katja (from the Qwaser
of Stigmata) and Junko Hattori (from Demon
King Daimao). You can see pictures of them at
http://www.flyingbuffalo.com/queensgate.htm
Hobby Japan has printed four of the popular
Queens Blade books in English. Now you don’t
need the translation to play the game. Any two of
these books can fight a duel, or any one can fight
a duel with any Lost Worlds book. See them at
http://www.flyingbuffalo.com/qbenglish.htm
If you think you might order them, take a look at the
regular Queen’s Blade page - I've lowered a couple of prices.
And remember, if you order at least two Queen’s Blade books
at the same time, you can request a FREE copy of either the
Skeleton or the Man in Chain with Sword and Shield.
Origins Poker Deck: the 2010 version is here. We are
honoring the four Game Designers Workshop guys (Frank
Chadwick, Loren Wiseman, Marc Miller, and Rich Banner)
as the four kings. Take a look at http://www.flyingbuffalo.
com/pokerdeck.htm and you'll see some sample cards. You
can order the deck now. It comes with either a black back or
orange back. You can also order the 2009 and 2008 decks from
that web page.
Yes, Decision Dice. Use this die to determine who will
play first in whatever game you are about to play. These were
officially released at Origins. I think they are pretty cool. They
come in 6 different colors http://www.flyingbuffalo.com/
dice.htm
The next convention I will be attending is Randomcon
this coming weekend in Mesa Arizona. www.randomcon.org
If you come, drop by my table and ask me for a free gift. I'm
planning to run some Nuclear War and Lost Worlds games.
3
Also Ken St Andre will be there as a guest of honor. He'll
be running T&T games. And of course after that will be our
convention here in Scottsdale July 22-25. (see below) And
after that will be Gencon.
™
Rick Loomis
Stuff I told you about last time:
You can now follow me on Twitter as
Buffalorick. I don’t “tweet” very often, but I try to
be interesting!
Facebook: we are a small company, and can’t
afford a lot of advertising or promotion. I go to
a lot of conventions to promote our products,
but facebook and the internet provide a great
opportunity. If you like our products, please “friend”
me there, and find the “Flying Buffalo” page and
the “Decision Dice” page and the “Nuclear War”
page and the “Pizza Dice” page and the “Lost
Worlds” page and “like” them. I plan to also put
up a “Tunnels & Trolls RPG” page and probably
others. Thanks! You can find the official Flying
Buffalo page at www.facebook.com/FBInc and my
personal page at www.facebook.com/Buffalorick
2010 is Flying Buffalo’s 40th Anniversary.
In celebration, we have created a special limited edition
anniversary t-shirt. You can see it at http://www.flyingbuffalo.
com/t-shirt.htm It is a tan shirt with black printing. It is $14.95
plus the usual shipping charge. And if you wear one of these
shirts and visit our booth/table at any game convention, I
will give you a free 6-sider die.
During 2010 I am also offering a bargain special on two of
my play by mail/email games. See http://www.flyingbuffalo.
com/pbmnews.htm for details on how you can play Starweb
for less than 1/4 the usual price.
The third annual T&T convention and the 38th annual
Flying Buffalo PBM convention is going to be July 22-25, 2010.
Probably at the Holiday Inn in Scottsdale. Note that this
will be Flying Buffalo’s 40th Anniversary, so we are going to
try to make it special. If you have ever attended one of our
conventions before, please consider attending this year. If
you've come before, I'll give you a special award of some kind!
More details at http://www.flyingbuffalo.com/tntconv.htm
Rick
Flying Buffalo Inc www.flyingbuffalo.com
PO Box 8467, Scottsdale, AZ 85252
P o l y g l o t
Classic Moorcock RPGs at Drivethru
Mongoose Publishing is happy to announce an agreement with
Chaosium to publish classic Michael Moorcock RPG materials as PDFs on
Drivethru. You can find them under ‘Classic Moorcock’ at;

http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/index.php?manufacturers_id=45
™
There are lots of classic books now available again, such as Atlas of
the Young Kingdoms, Stormbringer, The Shattered Isle and much more.
Whether you are a player of the older games or looking for more source
material for Mongoose’s own forthcoming and updated Elric of Melniboné
(due for release next month), you can bag some handy bargains that are
bound to enthrall any Moorcock fan.

Matthew Sprange

Mongoose Publishing
Tel: +44 (0)1793 434488 Fax:+44 (0)1793 497999 Mob: +44 (0)7891
624298
http://www.mongoosepublishing.com

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News from Avalanche Press
New Releases and a Special Deal
For the rest of this summer – and hopefully beyond –
we'll be releasing a new product every week. From add-on
map sets through new boxed games, new stuff is on its way
to your gaming table.
Panzer Grenadier: Hopeless But Not Serious is the latest,
officially becoming available at the end of last week. At $24.99,
it’s a great value with 16 scenarios and two full sheets of new
playing pieces. Like Iron Wolves, DAK ‘44 and Polish Steel, it’s
available solely from us.
Late this week we'll start shipping
another, probably either Panzer
Grenadier: Iron Wolves or Panzer
Grenadier: Workers & Peasants. You
can order these or any of the other
new supplements now readying for
shipment (DAK'44, Polish Steel, Black
SS) now, and make use of our flat-rate
shipping charge and Buy Two, Get a
Third Free offer.
With those six items, several
Games in the Book, a pair of reprints
and a couple of boxed games, we
should be able to keep this one-per-
week pace up past summer’s end.
After that? It depends on what we get
done this summer, but it’s certainly a
goal we hope to reach.
Bomb Alley Passes
It’s one of our best-selling games
ever, but the stockpile of parts is just about exhausted. We
can put together a handful of copies without a box, but after
that, everything would need to be reprinted and we have too
many other projects in the works for that to happen in the
next couple of years. So pick up Bomb Alley while you still
can for just $49.99.
Buy Two, Get a Third Free
When you place an order for two games, you can have
one more for free. The free item must have a retail price equal
to or less than that of the lowest-priced item in your order.
Write in the product you want for free in the “Comments”
section of the order form, and we'll add it to your shipment.
It’s not an automatic function of the webstore: If you
order three items, it’s going to charge you for three items. If
6
you want one for free, don’t add it to your cart. Just type the
title in the Comments section that appears after you click
“Check Out."
Boxless Bismarck
™
We don’t have boxes, but we have plenty of other parts,
so we’re offering Second World War at Sea: Bismarck in a
special boxless edition for just $40. We’ll bring it back in a
boxed edition eventually, but it’s in line behind many other
new games. Pick it up now – Buy
Two, Get a Third FREE is in effect!
Red God of War
It’s time to say goodbye to this
wargame of the 1942 Soviet counter-
offensive at Rzhev in front of Moscow.
Until Aug. 11 we’ll be selling the
remaining copies of Red God of War
at $10 apiece (originally $29.99), then
they feed the flames and we say
goodbye.
Bomb Alley Passes
It’s one of our best-selling games
ever, but the stockpile of parts is just
about exhausted. We can put together
a handful of copies without a box, but
after that, everything would need to
be reprinted and we have too many
other projects in the works for that to
happen in the next couple of years. So pick up Bomb Alley
while you still can for just $49.99.
Buy Two, Get a Third Free
When you place an order for two games, you can have
one more for free. The free item must have a retail price equal
to or less than that of the lowest-priced item in your order.
Write in the product you want for free in the “Comments”
section of the order form, and we’ll add it to your shipment.
It’s not an automatic function of the webstore: If you
order three items, it’s going to charge you for three items. If
you want one for free, don’t add it to your cart. Just type the
title in the Comments section that appears after you click
“Check Out.”
Visit us soon at www.avalanchepress.com.
P o l y g l o t
More Guests and Exhibitors Announced for Fan Expo 2010
MORE GUESTS

We are proud to announce this year’s Hollywood Icon, Academy Award

winner, ERNEST BORGNINE! Also recently added, MICHELLE FORBES star of
True Blood and star of The Punisher, THOMAS JANE plus many more! Check out
all the guest updates here! ™
DC COMICS IS BACK

DC returns to FAN EXPO CANADA™, BIGGER &

BETTER than before! More freebies, giveaways, panels and
of course many appearances by your favorite comic book
creators. Check it out!

ARCHIE COMICS

Riverdale comes North as FAN

EXPO CANADA™ welcomes ARCHIE
COMICS as a featured exhibitor for the
first time! Check it out!

For more information

www.fanexpocanada.com

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Sixth Anniversary Sale and Other News
Sixth Anniversary Sale

Greetings! This week Tabletop Adventures is celebrating our sixth anniversary, and we invite you to celebrate with us.
From now through Wednesday, July 21, all Tabletop Adventures electronic products are on sale at 15% off. This includes our
fantasy, modern, and sci-fi terrain descriptions; fantasy magic items and NPCs; futuristic space Destinations; Against the
™
Darkness, our own Vatican horror roleplaying game; and our line of unique “on the fly” naming products, the Deck O’ Names.

One Page Dungeon Codex 2009 – Print Project!

One special project available through Tabletop Adventures is The One Page Dungeon Codex, 2009 – Deluxe. This useful
free product contains the top dungeons from 2009’s One Page Dungeon Contest. Right now, for a very limited time, you can
get this as a full-color printed product. To learn about the possibilities, see the front page of our web site at http://www.
tabletopadventures.com.

Tabletop Adventures at GenCon 2010

Last but not least, we are pleased to say that Tabletop Adventures will be having a booth at GenCon, which is currently
scheduled to be booth #530. We will be sharing the booth with Expeditious Retreat Press, making it the one place at GenCon
that you can get a copy of their new game, Sorcery and Super Science! We will also be hosting products from Black Blade
Publishing, Three Sages Games, and Windmill Games. Our booth will be stuffed full of roleplaying goodness, including
support for any edition of the world’s most popular fantasy roleplaying game as well as games and supplements for other
genres, GM aids and tools, and even board games.

Tabletop Adventures – Whatever you play, we’ve got your back.

Get the BP series of products now exclusively at

Herobuilders.com
The all new soon to be unemployed
BP CEO Tony Hayward INACTION
Figure we can him “The Wanker” now
on sale for 34.95.
And an all new product category
for Herobuilders.com is our new custom
snow globe capabilities. We decided to
launch this new line with the introduction
of the NEW BP Polluted ocean globe.
Shake this snow globe and it rains black
snow. A must have Christmas gift for
only 34.95

Once again all products made at

herobuilders.com are hand molded,
painted and assembled in the USA.

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Sign up for the FREE eSeminar on 20th July: Importing
video and using video control buttons
Did you know that you can use videos within your
Flash® projects?
Join this eSeminar to learn more about importing and
handling videos within QuarkXPress 8 interactive layouts. ™
Use pre-designed video skins and control buttons to
customize the look and feel of videos.
Find out more about the different types of videos that Session 2:
can be imported into your Flash projects. Learn how to export
the videos so that they play successfully on your computer, 11 am EDT 12pm MDT 1pm CDT 2pm EDT
within a presentation or on a Web site. Register now!
Register now for one of the July sessions. Places are
limited, so don’t miss out on this free training!
Sincerely,
Importing video and using video control buttons, July 20th
2010
Jutta Stienen
Senior Campaign Manager
Session 1:
Quark
8am PDT 9am MDT 10am CDT 11am EDT
Register now! http://8.quark.com/

CanCon: The Conference for Canadian Speculative

Arts and Literature
CanCon: The Conference for Canadian Speculative Arts
and Literature in Ottawa, Canada, August 20-22. More info:
www.can-con.org

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Tips from AstroPrinting.com
10 Ways to Create the Wrong Brochure

To be successful, a brochure needs to be produced with a precise objective and a target reader in mind. It’s best to create
the least elaborate brochure likely to achieve its objectives.
Deciding on Your Purpose
™
Brochures fall into two broad categories — those that introduce a new product or service to a likely customer and those
that turn an already interested customer into a buyer.

Using Color
Full color is more costly but is justified if the product or
service you are offering needs color to show its features. For
example, a wallpaper brochure or a brochure of knitwear
would not work effectively in anything other than full color.
Another reason for using full color may be to compete head-
on with a rival’s color brochure.
Using two or even three colors is a cheaper alternative to
full color and can be quite effective, especially if part of the
brochure is printed in a screened color that lightens the tone
and gives the effect of another color.
A limited use of color can look more sophisticated than
bold colors. You might also consider using full color in only
part of a brochure, or you might try using colored paper —
although that is quite tricky to do well.

10 Ways to Create the Wrong Brochure

1. Being concerned with the looks, but forgetting the sales
objective.
2. Giving the printer poor artwork, but expecting excellent
results.
3. Forgetting to emphasize the unique selling proposition of
your business.
4. Omitting (or hiding) prices if they are critical to the reader’s
decision-making.
5. Printing too many brochures with details that date too quickly.
6. Giving insufficient thought to how the brochure should best be distributed.
7. Using text on the brochure that is too small to read easily.
8. Including poor-quality or inappropriate illustrations.
9. Allowing a fussy or complex design to distract from the key selling message.
10. Forgetting to monitor the response (as with any other type of advertising).
See more great ideas like this! Click here to visit the Astro Printing Ideas Collection.

Year-Round Promotions

Because many companies focus their marketing on Thanksgiving and Christmas sales, it is easy to feel bombarded with
marketing overload during the holidays. Here are a few examples of how to use creative promotions to grab your customers’
attention and boost sales year round:

•  Happy Birthday! Take advantage of every opportunity you have to celebrate, whether it is your company’s birthday or your customers’
individual birthdays. Don’t have this information? Request it by creating a “birthday club” offering special discounts, promotions, or a

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free gift on customer birthdays. This is also a great way to build and update your customer
database.
•  Ground Hog’s Day. While Valentine’s Day is typically the feature push during February, you
can get a jump start by promoting a more light-hearted holiday. For example, a fireplace
business could offer a discount promo to help customers stay warm during six more weeks
of winter.
•  Earth Day. You don’t need one particular holiday to show interest in the environment. Does
your company take every opportunity to print on recycled materials, use energy-efficient
appliances, install solar panels for energy, etc? If so, toot your own horn and look for creative
ways to reward customers who do likewise. ™
•  Cold weather fun. If you live in the Midwest, it may be fun to offer a promotion around
the weather during the blissful month of January. For example, if yesterday’s high was 15
degrees, customers would receive a 15% discount on all purchases. Be clear up front if exclusions apply.
•  Choose a quarterly way to highlight a target demographic. For example, seniors receive a free piece of pie with $5 purchase in April.
College students receive a free pitcher of their favorite beverage with a large pizza in October. Families receive a 15% water park
admission discount for groups of four or more in August.
•  Help your community with goodwill promotions. Offer discount coupons or free gifts with donation of a non-perishable food item,
gently used clothes, or blood bank donations. Many people forget that non-profit organizations need donations and support year
round.
•  Other ideas… Has your spring sprung? Overhead door companies could offer a discounted garage door replacement to promote
the kick-off of spring. Enjoying the dog days of summer? A doggy-doo cleanup company can help you relax by offering summer
promotions to clean up your yard.

If you’d like help creating marketing materials to advertise your low-cost, high return promotions, give us a call today!
We’re full of unique print ideas to increase sales year-round.

Employee Training Materials

It’s no surprise that well-trained, productive employees are the key to business success. Whether you are creating an
employee handbook or various training materials, here are a few tips to consider:

•  Think of employee training as an investment rather than an expense. While training can be costly up front, it’s a long-term investment
in the growth and development of your employee team.
•  Consider making continuing education the responsibility of one person in the department, who updates all training materials and
staff members on current policies, procedures, and the technology relevant to the department.
•  A well-written employee training manual ensures that every employee receives the same information about the rules of the
workplace, your employees will know what you expect from them (and what they can expect from you), and you’ll buy yourself
valuable legal protection if an employee later challenges you in court.
•  Create quality printed training materials, since they become valuable resources for trainees to refer to again and again once training
is over. For example, if you are training an employee on an important piece of equipment, incorporate visual images that illustrate
functions, examples, and example how-tos.
•  Consider organizing your training materials in a three-ring binder with easily identifiable tab dividers to make it easier to update
and organize information.
•  Keep the reader in mind and avoid corporate terminology.
•  Provide blank pages or white space for employee notes.
•  If there are policy or procedure changes, consider distributing a brief information sheet (or training alert) and ask employees to
update their training binder. Offer follow-up training if there are any questions regarding the change.
•  To ensure your training materials are read, consider testing trainees and offer rewards for top performing employees.
•  While a well developed training manual promotes consistency and ensures that important details are addressed, remember that a
training manual should not replace a human trainer. It is simply a tool to assist both the trainer and trainee.

Considering your company will only be as successful as the people you work with, you can rest assured we can help you
reach your goals when you trust your printing projects with us.

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Newest Featured Reviews from DriveThruRPG.com
Blackdirge’s Bargain Bestiaries: Like all installments in the Blackdirge’s Bargain Bestiary series, “Creepy Critters:
Creepy Critters – Baleful Bugs Baleful Bugs” provides DMs (of D&D 4e) with a handful of well-conceive d and well-
by Blackdirge Publishing crafted creatures. Players in my home campaign should not be surprised if they find
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/ themselves confronted by one or more of these creatures in the near future.
The stat blocks for these creatures
product_info.php?products_
id=76169&it=1&SRC=polyglot seem entirely appropriate and ™
Price: $1.49 innovative, although the puppeteer
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars (from spider’s webbed marionette power,
Christopher Heard) effect 1, violates (intentionally, I
presume) a well-established principle
in D&D 4e regarding forced movement,
and I probably wouldn’t use it as written. The creatures range from level 3 to
level 12, so you could find something here to challenge groups from the low
heroic to the low paragon tiers.
Even though each creature is presented on one page with an illustration
and a full stat block, enough flavor or lore text accompanies the crunch to
help DMs incorporate the new creatures smoothly into a D&D 4e setting.
I could wish, however, for less repetition in the flavor text. For example,
one result in the scourgetail scorpion lore table reveals that “troglodytes
actually enjoy [the] vinegary stench” given off by this creature, and the short
paragraph under the “Encounter Groups” heading repeats this information
in almost exactly the same words. Having been told this in the lore section,
readers don’t need to hear it again in the encounter groups section. Most
of the creature writeups in “Baleful Bugs” exhibit this sort of repetition
in the “fluff,” and readers may wish those precious sentences had been
used to convey new information about the creatures rather than to repeat
information already given.

The Horror Game The Horror Game is a great “rules light”

by Davis Ray Sickmon, Jr horror game focused on quickly creating
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/ characters, monsters, and scenarios with
product_info.php?products_ enough flexibility to build a wide variety of
id=81819&it=1&SRC=polyglot situations. With the system you can probably
Price: $7.00 replicate just about any of your favorite horror
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars (from NB movies in under an hour. It’s a fast read at just
Neil) a little over 100 pages and is written well and
concisely. The only real complaint I have is the
lack of artwork. That doesn’t take away from
the system though.
The game strikes a nice balance between “crunch” for the more numbers focused
players including creating characters with your standard attributes, skill points,
disadvantages, etc. The skills are not predetermined, but narrative in nature that the
players work out with the GM. If you want to be a yo-yo master who can kill at man
at 10 paces . . . GO AHEAD! The limits are really your imagination and your GMs
tolerance. The book does include tables of representative power levels for various
skills, so you can get a sense of the order of magnitude that you can expect your
character to perform. That’s about it for characters, which is great if you are building
pregens or want to run a game where you players don’t have to stress about min/
maxing every little detail.

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P o l y g l o t
On to monsters . . . they scale depending on the number of players and the difficulty of the game. They have most of the
same attributes as the players and some special abilities like Warp Walk, which is how characters like Jason from Friday the
13th are chasing someone into a house and sudden end up right behind them after they slam the door shut. It is just as easy
and fast to create your monster on the fly as it is for players to make their characters. The book also has tons of examples of
types of monsters. The variety is great for a GM who wants to run an impromptu game. They even have suggestions for PvP
games set in dangerous locations. This just goes to show you the flexibility of the system. The book then offers us several
resources for planning a game including web sites for floor plans and other game-related resources.
The mechanics are simple, yet robust. With some “rules light” games, D&D veterans and other players who like “crunchy”
games are disappointed by the lack of firm boundaries of play. I think in this case The Horror Game strikes a nice balance
™
between encouraging a narrative and utilizing a mechanic to allow for a fair resolution of actions. That doesn’t mean it’s
forgiving though. Don’t get too attached to your characters.
Overall, I think the book is a solid purchase for GMs who want to change things up from his/her normal game or for
groups without as much RPG experience. I am confident I can teach my players the game in 15 minutes and probably need
less than an hour to stat out the monster/pregens for the game. I haven’t gotten a chance to run it. However, they plan on
releasing free scenarios on www.thehorrorgame.com, which I will promptly use to run a game for the NerdBound crew or our
listeners. The price is right and it should offer up some fun times for your group. Now get slashin’!

Obsidian Twilight Campaign One day everything is fine and the next, your day, life and your entire world are
Setting (PFRPG) ruined by a vast meteorite with necrotic powers. Sound familiar? No? Excellent - because
by LPJ Design that’s the core setting behind Obsidian Twilight, a Pathfinder campaign setting you'll
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/ very much enjoy if you like these kind of things.
product_info.php?products_ Obsidian Twilight is literally
id=82158&it=1&SRC=polyglot a twilight world. Thanks to that
Price: $14.99 aforementioned meteorite, there is no
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars (from Ben day, no night, simply twilight. There
Gerber) are also lots and lots of undead causing
the kind of general havoc you'd expect
them to cause.
This campaign setting offers 8 new player races and a large number of
new feats, spells, prestige classes and creatures.
The 8 new races are interesting and I think well designed for this world/
campaign setting. Having said that though, they do seem a bit overpowered.
I wouldn’t be comfortable introducing them in to a non-Obsidian Twilight
campaign. Overpowered or not, they're interesting as all get out and while
the standard races are available for play, they seem boring in comparison.
The new feats, spells, monsters and other additions mesh very well with
each other and the new races for what will be a dynamic setting. It will be
up to the GM to create the adventures using just this book but with a little
bit of reading and a dash of imagination I can see a serious and lengthy
campaign built within it.
Artwork and layout are all very good. Your eyes will enjoy this book
as you page through it. Additionally this 168 page PDF is bookmarked, for
which I thank the authors! I did notice a number of spelling mistakes which
were a bit of a distraction but certainly not a deal breaker.
Overall the campaign and setting is good for those who love to power
game. It’s a high powered setting in a deadly world. If you're more in to lower magic settings or worlds with a bit more subtlety
this may grate on you a bit. If you're open to a fast, large power campaign then jump right in!

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P o l y g l o t
Ramblings of a Twisted Muse There are two kinds of popular approaches to Call of Cthulhu gaming. One is
by Chaosium the longer campaign, which is something of an oxymoron given that investigators
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/ supposedly go mad or die at the drop of a hat. Of course, this isn’t true – Keepers ensure
product_info.php?products_ that there’s some level of character continuity and often allow investigators to ensure
id=81995&it=1&SRC=polyglot a broader story arc. Where Call of Cthulhu gets its reputation as a “player-killer” kind
Price: $19.46 of game is from short scenarios with pregenerated characters, often run at conventions.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars (from This format is particularly freeing as it allows designers to create scenarios that place
Michael Tresca ) the Cthulhu Mythos in unusual circumstances, far afield from the standard 1920s default
setting. Ramblings of a Twisted Muse takes this approach. This review contains spoilers!
http://www.rpgnow.com/
product_info.php?products_id= ™
The first scenario, A Night in Edo, takes place in pre-World War II Japan in 1925, a
81995&affiliate_id=34014 foreign setting for most American players. The plot is more Japanese- than Mythos-
inspired, involving ghouls, undead sorcerers, and a sentient blade. There’s not much
in the way of investigation, as the investigators are on a mission to rescue a damsel in
distress. The scenario is lethal, culminating in six ghouls and two crawling ones, one of them wielding a POW-draining mind-
controlling blade. The investigators must go into this death trap with just the weapons they have handy (there’s no time to get
them back), faced with darkness and an underwater tunnel where there’s a real possibility that one of them might drown. The
spellcasting Shinto priest player character has just
a 25% Swim skill and must throw paper inscribed
with symbols to cast his spells – thematically
appropriate but awfully inconvenient in a damp
tunnel. Fortunately, the tunnel can be circumvented
if the investigators choose e the right path…but
why have it there at all? This scenario doesn’t feel
very playtested and the investigators seem like a
distinct disadvantage without Keeper fiat to help
them survive. Good pacing, great setting, terrible
execution. Two out of five stars.
The second scenario, Dreams of Egyptos, takes
place in an Egyptian tomb. The investigators are
descendants of an ancient sorcerer, unknowingly
investigating his resting place. As they explore the
area, there’s a chance they remember snippets of
ancestral memory…or something worse that sets
one of the PCs secretly against the rest. It’s that kind
of scenario. The conclusion involves a battle with
an endless number of Children of the Sphinx, the
sorcerer himself, a possible traitor in the investigator
ranks, and then another betrayal if the investigators
choose their words poorly. The use of flashbacks
is certainly interesting and gives the investigators
some advantage as they remember some spells, but
there’s a fine line between creating a scenario that
culminates in an exciting battle and one in which
one wrong roll dooms the entire group. Two out of
five stars.
Grey House on the Hill is broken into two parts.
The first involves an investigator returning to his
family residence after the death of his father. His
accomplished Mythos-hunter comrades accompany
him, of course. It’s a good thing too, because the
investigators will have to face down numerous zombies, a Worm That Walks, mind-controlled locals, a Fosterling of the Old
Ones. Unlike the other two scenarios, the investigators are not hobbled by circumstance or repressed memories. They're
armed to the teeth with spells and magical items to boot. They actually have a chance at surviving the first half.

14
P o l y g l o t
In the second half, where the investigators converge on the scenario’s namesake, they are even more prepared. There’s an
opportunity to buy equipment and even read up on their foe. As it turns out, this house is no ordinary house – it has more in
common with the movie of the same name than the usual haunted house, being a series of portals to other dimensions. The
battle crosses dimensions and ends in the lair of a Great Old One. Unlike the other scenarios, where the players are punished
arbitrarily for playing their investigators as real people rather than SWAT team members, these investigators ARE the Call of
Cthulhu equivalent of a SWAT team. The odds against them are great, but the investigators are no lightweights. So long as the
players are smart – and there is a running assumption throughout all these scenarios that experienced players are up to the
challenge – they might just succeed. Four out of five stars.
The final scenario, Senior Project, takes places at Miskatonic University. A Miskatoinc professor and his students are up
™
against two former investigators who believe they have discovered the Yithian secret of perpetual energy. Instead, the two
deluded scientists have been corrupted by the forces of the Mythos and are well on their way to destroying the world with
their mad plans. It’s up to the investigators to do some actual investigating – not the kind that digs up notes in random places,
but actual role-playing with other characters. This scenario, like the Grey House on the Hill, provides investigators with the
tools to succeed. Four out of five stars.
Overall, this series of scenarios squeaks by with a rating of three stars. It’s not that the scenarios are poorly written, but
that they are overreaching in their ambition. The style of play is most certainly a pulpy, two-fisted spellcasting-and-magic-
weapon-wielding style of play that isn’t for everybody. Too many of the scenarios can short-circuit investigators’ plans with
a poor die roll, and the scenarios as written seem all too eager to kill them off. If the players are experienced Call of Cthulhu
veterans, these scenarios will definitely test their mettle. But for players more interested in role-playing and less interested in
combat, their experience will definitely be “twisted."

Creepy Creatures: Bestiary of the We take it for granted that most monsters in our Pathfinder game will be somewhat
Bizarre intimidating. All too often, however, this is a high as the fear factor gets for a creature.
by Alluria Publishing A great red wyrm makes players nervous for the amount of damage it can do to their
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/ characters, but nobody looks at the picture and feels a shudder go down their spine,
product_info.php?products_ or fights one and then says later “man that dragon was creepy!” In other words, most
id=82051&it=1&SRC=polyglot creatures are intimidating, but not frightening.
Price: $17.00 That’s something Alluria Publishing aims to rectify with their new Pathfinder
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars (from Shane monster book, Creepy Creatures: Bestiary of the Bizarre. So let’s take a look at this folio
O'Connor) of fright and see what terrors lurk therein.
The book is 115 pages long, containing an impressive one hundred monsters exactly.
Bookmarks are present (having been quickly added after the initial release lacked them),
and do an excellent job of linking to various sections as well as each individual monster. Every creature has full color artwork,
which is absolutely essential for a monster book, and Alluria did a great job finding
talented artists to depict their menacing menagerie. Further, all of the pages are
set on a slightly off-white background that turns more tanned towards the edges
of the page, like parchment. There’s an alternating border in the lower corner that
contains the page numbers as well. Unfortunately, no printer-friendly version is to
be found here, but that’s a relatively small oversight, all things considered.
Now, what about the monsters themselves? Of course, it’s beyond the scope of
this review to cover all of them in detail, but I’ll try to give some concrete overviews.
The monsters range from CRs 1-20, with the majority being in the upper
single-digits. As mentioned previously, there are one hundred such monsters here,
and the majority concentrate on being fairly gruesome, freakish, or downright
creepy creatures. For example, centipede folk are giant centipedes with a human
face on the underside of their insectine head. The giant virus is exactly what it
sounds like, a germ raised to macroscopic levels, which makes it more alien than
most aberrations, as well as a potent spreader of disease. And the eye parasite is
like a tiny beholder, save that it’ll dissolve your eyes, lair inside your head, and
interchange which of its two tinier eyeballs rest in your sockets while it controls
your body’s movements…all while you’re still alive.
Needless to say, a lot of these creatures will (presuming the unspoken but still
acknowledged effort on the part of the GM) likely freak your players out pretty

15
P o l y g l o t
well. There are some nasty freaks in here.
Of course, that’s not to say the entire book was a home run either. There were several monsters that really felt like one-
trick ponies to me. The hammertrunk elephant uses its trunk as a bludgeoning tool. Okay, I can live with that. Two variant
kinds of gryphons, each one of which changes up what sort of cat and bird make up its component parts? I like the visual, but
there’s really nothing that makes them different from a standard gryphon with different flavor text. Monsters like these didn’t
seem to pull their metaphorical weight.
I can live with a few duds though, especially since most of the creatures are at least adequate, and usually better than
adequate, in their presentation. What I didn’t care for was that I kept finding small errors cropping up. The bone druid, for
example, has its spell levels listed from least to greatest, instead of greatest to least. The suncat has the Angel subtype, but
™
none of the mechanical benefits that subtype grants. It’s little things like that that dimmed the book’s luster for me, especially
since they could have been easily caught and corrected if the editor had gone back a few more times with a critical eye. Here’s
hoping the book will get an errata-based update soon.
The book has a few appendices after all of the monsters have been presented, as well. It briefly summarizes the Remarkable
Races that were the subject of Alluria Publishing’s previous works, since several of those get referenced in various monster
write-ups. There’s also a set of tables indexing the monsters by CR, type, role, environment, etc. Unfortunately, while I was
hoping for some information about what creatures would make good familiars, special mounts, or animal companions for PCs,
such information was nowhere to be found (though a few creatures do discuss training them using Handle Animal).
In closing, let me say that if my notations on where the book could have done better are making you hesitate to buy
this volume, then I’m doing you a disservice. This bestiary hits far more than it misses, and vast majority of the creatures are
inspiring for how they can be used to vex your players. If you want to inject some unsettling species into your Pathfinder game,
I heartily recommend giving Creepy Creatures a chance. You won’t regret it, though your players most certainly will.

McKenzie Files
The human United Protectorate is under attack by the reptilian alien
race known as the Brelac. The Brelac’s bloodthirsty onslaught brings forth the
creation of the genetically engineered humanoid weapons called Reploids.
These Reploids are the perfect
The McKenzie Files. weapon in every way; they are identical
First book in a new sci fi series by copies of real humans that have been
author Barry K. Nelson. Published by captured, killed, cloned, embedded
Leucrota Press. with powerful psionic-based abilities,
ISBN; 978-0-9800339-2-2 and programmed to kill for the Brelac.
They are untraceable, they blend
into human society, and they are
believable—so believable, that the Reploids themselves do not know they
are clones.
Colin McKenzie is a second generation Reploid planted in the
Protectorate military. When he turns on his commanding officer in an
attempt to protect a shipwrecked band of Brelac soldiers, he is captured
and reprogrammed—along with two other arrested Reploids—to serve the
government they were originally created to destroy.
A dark alliance between the Brelac and the separatist organization
Vendetta looms over the Protectorate. The balance is upset when the
traitorous Doctor Howard Fenlow—the scientist who is the very creator of
the Reploids—manages to produce a weapon powerful enough to bring the
Protectorate to its knees.
And there are only three that can stop it.

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P o l y g l o t
Printing and Design Tips from the Printing Industry Exchange
A TRIP TO THE MOVIES: “STANDEE” DISPLAYS
My fiancee and I have taken on a new part-time job: assembling
standees at movie theaters. These are the large, point-of-purchase
displays heralding upcoming films. They are huge, dramatic, and
intriguing. They have to be. After all, their purpose is to entrance the
child in you, and persuade you to spend your hard-earned money
for a ticket.
They also offer a wealth of information on printing for those
with an observant eye.
Standees are part signage (a marketing term for signs), part
point-of-purchase display (like the displays you see at retail stores
both holding and advertising stacks of “product”). Unlike posters,
they are physical “things.” They take up space. They are three
dimensional, and most of the time they are huge.
Some standees even include inflatable movie characters
with little voice box recorders that are activated when you touch
the figures. Or plexiglass structures most probably printed on
commercial silkscreen presses.
So what do they teach us about printing? Everything from press
technology (offset litho vs. flexography) to scoring to diecutting to
the physical needs of such a printed construct.
On my first “job,” I had a most striking realization: The standee,
which, when assembled, would be 10 feet x 9 feet x 6 feet, had arrived
at the theater in a single carton. Realization #2: Paper is heavy
(consider this whenever you forget to request a cost estimate for
freight for a print job you're producing). The standee box weighed
almost 100 lbs.
Upon opening the box I found a multitude of flat corrugated
boards: strips of cardboard cut down (or folded) to fit exactly
inside the box with no wasted room. Granted, I noticed that rough
handling of the carton in some cases had banged up what would
eventually be printed parts of the final display.
Closer inspection revealed that portions of the display with
4-color printing were composed of press ink on gloss stock laminated
to corrugated board (after all, an offset press would crush the fluting
of cardboard). Ink on areas coated with a single flat color (the sides
and back of the display, for instance) appeared to be printed right
on the corrugated board. I assumed this would be flexographic
printing, since the rubber plates of a flexo press can print directly on
cardboard. However, they can only print simple graphics, unlike the
more detailed 4-color printing on the front of the standee. (Hence
the standee included flexo for the back and sides and offset litho
laminated to the cardboard for more complicated graphics.)
Following the instructions that came with the standee (picture
a giant 3-dimensional puzzle), I noticed that scoring and diecutting
allowed flat panels of cardboard to be folded and assembled into a
structure with depth, height, and width. (As with all preparation of
cover stock and other boards, scoring on the folds allowed for easy,
accurate folding.) And the diecutting was evident in the tabs, which
allowed folded sections of the display to be inserted into slots on
other sections to construct the massive display. (All slots and tabs
were diecut.)
17
Essentially, the standees were flat cardboard folded into boxes,
and the boxes were stacked one on the other (and then bolted
together with screws) to form pedestals and walls, and then 4-color
diecut posters laminated to cardboard were affixed (with tabs folded
and positioned into diecut slots) to create life-size images floating at
™
various levels (higher or lower than, close to or further away from,
the structure of boxes and panels and pedestals).
Beyond everything else, these were physical structures when
completed. Portions of the structures even had to be reinforced
(with chopsticks glued to the cardboard) to avoid their flopping over.
(The glue looked familiar, as well: hot melt glue similar to the glue
used on perfect binding equipment.)
I thought about press runs and printing technology. After all,
if the marketing company had needed only a short run of these
standees to promote a movie, the 4-color images laminated to the
cardboard would need to have been printed on large-format ink-jet
equipment. Longer runs might have been done more economically
on offset equipment. Diecutting had been done on a letterpress.
I thought about the logistics of designing a marketing structure
and then tempering that burst of creation with physical requirements:
How could a 10 foot panel fit onto a carton pedestal? (Use screws to
bolt together two panels, and score and fold the panels to fit into the
3 foot (or so) by 5 foot (or so) box before assembly.
I thought about how it was a blessing to have assistance in
the assembly of the structure and about the physical logistics of
assembly. After all, if two huge, heavy assemblies of attached boxes
had to fit together over a flat base extending out into the theater
lobby, pieces and parts of the structure had to be put together in a
certain order. The entire structure once completed was far too heavy
to lift, just to insert a forgotten part.
I thought about shipping: The box, including all the pieces,
had to weigh not more than a certain amount to ship. And by what
method? And to how many theaters across the country?
I thought of the designers who came up with the concept but
then had to break the concept down into little boxes with tabs and
slots that could be put together. With holes strategically placed to
allow standee assemblers to work arms and fingers into tight spots
to put everything together.
I thought about the installers, like myself and my fiancee. After
all, such a product has to be assembled—on-site, usually in one
session over multiple hours.
And I thought about how it all had to come together and be
magical, or children wouldn’t be compelled to plead with parents
to buy tickets.
All of this is printing technology: flexography, offset printing,
laminating printed paper to cardboard, scoring and diecutting,
postal regulations. None of this exists on the Internet; it is all
physical. And as long as businesses are selling movie tickets, it will
continue. And the same printing technology will show up in trade
show graphics, point-of-purchase displays in retail stores, and even
product packaging. It’s all still there if you know where to look.
P o l y g l o t
Tips from About.com
Business, Publishing, and Web Design
Business
Write Better Blogs – New Book Review
Amateurs and experts love to blog. Usually there isn’t a
problem thinking about what to say. But how much thought
is given to: how it’s said? A classic by Brandon Royal,… Read
more
Online Business 101
Doing business online requires a specific set of skills.
Learn how to be successful in the online marketplace.
The Ins and Outs of Freelancing as a Business
Many people these days are freelancing their services,
either full-time, as a moonlighting gig, or as a precursor to
launching a business. While freelancing offers a lot of great
advantages… Read more
How to Take Your Small Business to the Next Level
Many successful small business owners have at least
one thing in common – the ability to see the big picture and
envision what their success will look like tomorrow. Here are
some of the activities successful business owners complete
to place their focus on the future and keep moving forward.
Read more
Goal Setting, the SMART Way
I frequently set goals in my business, both long- and
short-term. Not only does consistent goal setting keep me
moving forward, but it helps me figure out where I want to be
and work out a plan for getting there. Read more
Low-Budget High-Impact Marketing Plan
The secret to creating a high-impact marketing plan is to
optimize your limited budget. Use low-budget marketing to
get your message out to your customers on a regular basis,
and watch sales revenue grow. Read more
Publishing
Phone Numbers: Dots or Dashes?
How do you set apart number groups in a phone number?
In content on this site I’ve usually said it’s up to the designer
(or client). But recently a reader said that to them the use of
dots was an indicator that the area code must be included
18
when dialing. New one for me. What do you say? Are there
rules to formatting phone numbers?
™
How to Create and Use Dashes and Hyphens
One mark of professionally set type is the proper use of
hyphens, en dashes, and em dashes. Each is a different size
and has its own proper usage. Learn how to create, modify,
and typeset en dashes, em dashes, and hyphens in desktop
publishing.
The Width and Height of an Em
And speaking of em. There are em dashes and there are
em spaces and there are em sizes for Web fonts. While em is
a width in print design, in Web design em is height (what do
they do, turn the M over on its side? – just kidding). Over at
About.com Web Design there’s been on-going discussion as
to the origins of the em. Check it out.
Web Design
Tabbed Navigation Can Be Dressed Up with CSS 3
Many people find using CSS, and especially CSS 3
somewhat daunting. But this step-by-step tutorial will take
you through creating a CSS tabbed menu in short, easy stages.
Rounded Corners with CSS 3
Last week, I was asked for more tutorials on CSS 3, and
specifically rounded corners. And one thing you’ll learn about
CSS 3 is that a lot of the tricks we had to use extra HTML or
other workarounds for have been fixed in CSS 3. Rounded
corners are a great example. If you create a box with rounded
corners in CSS 2, you have to use a bunch of extra HTML to
make the corners appear. But CSS 3 does it with just one style
property: border-radius. Now there are a few gotchas to get
it to work in most modern browsers, but ultimately it’s a lot
easier than before. Now we just need Internet Explorer 9 to
come out of beta!
Learn how to use the CSS nth-child expressions
Once you understand how to use the CSS 3 nth-child
expressions, you will wonder how you ever got on without
them. They make creating patterns with your styles simple.
But first you have to understand how the expressions work.
This article: How to Use nth-child Expressions will teach you
the basics of the nth-child pseudo-classes.
P o l y g l o t
Stan Lee Headlines Arcana’s SDCC Plans!
Arcana Studio (Booth #2415) is proud to announce the legendary Stan Lee will be signing copies of Arcana’s new pop
culture magazine Zedura at this year’s San Diego Comic Con!
Stan Lee will be on hand to premiere the new
documentary from 1821 Pictures, “With Great
Power: The Stan Lee Story.” After the screening,
5 lucky fans will get the opportunity to meet Stan ™
in a private meet and greet and get a signed copy
of the new Zedura Magazine featuring Stan on
the cover, as well as be invited to the exclusive
Zedura Magazine/Stan Lee party. Also, actress
Malese Jow from The Vampire Diaries will join
Koni Waves writer/co-creator, Mark Poulton for
a signing at the Arcana booth (#2415) to promote
the upcoming Koni Konfidential. In addition,
WWE Divas, the Bella Twins, will appear at the
booth, as well as Thomas Jane! Be sure to stop
by to meet all of your favorite Arcana creators
including screenwriter Scott Milam who is
debuting his new graphic novel, Killing Machine!
Clockwork Girl creator, Sean O'Reilly and
Kevin Hanna will be on hand to host a panel on
Thursday July 22nd from 11am to noon in Room 9
where they will premiere new footage from their
upcoming animated film. Convention exclusives
will include Preview Editions of upcoming
Arcana graphic novels, A Cat Named Haiku tote
bags, Koni Konfidential skateboards, and a line
of new Arcana t-shirts!
The San Diego Comic Con runs from July
22nd to the 25th. For more information, please visit:
http://www.arcana.com

Premiering At SDCC

Arcana unveils several new books at this year’s San Diego Comic Con including the 240 page Koni Waves: The Perfect
Wave hardcover, The Hope Virus GN, Redball 6 GN, Philospher Rex GN, Penance TPB, and Demonslayer TPB. In addition,
for the first time all 5 volumes of Kade will be available in TPB!
Also, Arcana will offer preview editions of their hottest upcoming releases like Killing Machine, Koni Konfidential,
Spotlight!

Signing Times

This year Arcana has all of your favorite creators appearing at their booth (# 2415)! Be sure to stop by to meet creators, get
sketches, and for a chance to win great prizes! Also, comic legend Chris Claremont will appear to sign copies of Arcana’s new
Zedura Magazine! Times subject to change.

Continued on next page

19
P o l y g l o t
Continued from previous page

Thursday

10am to 11:30am Ezra Alfonso Ruiz

11am to Noon Zedura Chris Claremont
Noon to 2pm Banshee & Straw Mike Kalvoda
2:30pm to 3:30pm Zombie Warrior ™
Robert Kruckemeyer & Harry Walton
Henchman For Hire Zachary Sherman & Matt Hebb
3pm to 4pm Zedura Thomas Jane
4pm to 5pm El Arsenal Salvador Vasquez
5:30pm to 7pm Penance Sean Wise & Paul Gilligan
Harbor Moon Ryan Colucci

Friday
10am to 11:30am Scrooge and Santa Matt Wilson & Josh Kerfield
Penance Sean Wise & Paul Gilligan
Noon to 2pm Killing Machine Scott Milam & Kenneth Loh
Divine Intervention Frank Barbiere
2:30pm to 3:30pm El Arsenal Salvador Vasquez
4pm to 5pm Loosely Based Nikola Jajic & Michael Czernaiwski
5:30pm to 7pm Spotlight Jim Hanna, Marat Mychaels, & Mark Poulton
Zombie Warrior Robert Kruckemeyer

Saturday
10am to 11:30am Harbor Moon Ryan Colucci
Divine Intervention Frank Barbiere
Noon to 2pm Koni Konfidential Mark Poulton, Stephen Sistilli, Dexter Weeks, & Malese Jow
2:30pm to 3:30pm Penance Sean Wise & Paul Gilligan
Wonderdog, Inc. Scott Zirkel
5:30pm to 7pm Harry Walton: Henchman For Zachary Sherman & Matt Hebb & Redball 6
Hire
Philsopher Rex Ian & Jason Miller

Sunday
10am to 11:30am Penance Sean Wise & Paul Gilligan
Zedura Matt Kindt
Noon to 2pm A Cat Named Haiku Mark Poulton
Velvet Rope Rachel Lee Taylor
2:30pm to 3:30pm The Evil Tree Erik Hendrix

20
P o l y g l o t
0one News, July 2010
0one Games is pleased to announce two Ennie Awards
nominations:
Dungeon of Terror Virtual Boxed Set in the Best
Cartography category and The Great City Player’s Guide in
the Best Electronic Book category.
Be sure to visit the Voting booth from ™
July 16 to cast your vote.

NOW AVAILABLE

Heavenring Village: The Jail

Welcome to Heavenring
Village, the largest village
ever tiled!
Heavenring Village
contains 11 buildings, 101
rooms, 8 different zones
(each one featured in a
single product) and it’s
broken in 225 customizable
tiles.
This is the Jail and it
is 8 of 8 products forming
Heavenring Village. The Jail
contains a referee map and
26 customizable tiles.
If you want to buy all
the products at once plus extra material, please head to The
Heavenring Village Virtual Boxed Set©
[more]

Venture© - New Free quest available

Jack the Trapper was sentenced to death many years ago.

His lair was discovered, but no
one came out alive from such a
maze of traps!
Visit Venture’s Official
Web site HERE

IN THE WORKS

0one’s Blueprints; Dragon

Ship
The classic viking ship for
your adventures.

21
P o l y g l o t
Prolific Writer’s Techno Thriller Envisions Future Europe
And Glory Harpswell, ME — The year is 2034. Power lies in Europe with the bureaucrats in
A New Novel By Andrew Ian Dodge Brussels and London is the center for the Western Provinces. The Supremo Manipulator
Paperback: 308 pages of this conglomerate of nations is Pius. With no religious connections and a diminishing
Publisher: iUniverse (February 2, hold on power the Union is sustained by nepotism, violence and musical chairs of
political appointees. The disintegration of the Union is imminent.
2010)
Cover by John Cox (of Cox & ™
With a touch of humor, a satirical political edge and a flowing writing style,
Forkum fame) characters you come to know well take the reader through a techno-thriller deep into
Press Inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, the 21st century. We see the ambivalence of revolutionaries, who never intend serious
PH: 828-350-8158, action, faced with orders to destroy and kill. Europe will never be the same again …
glassonyonpr@cs.com Andrew Ian Dodge is a 40 something writer, consultant and rocker. Married to
English actress Kim Benson since 2007. A regular contributor to Pajamas Media, Dodge
is busy working on several writing projects including a new novel and lyrics for his band.
He recently overcame colon cancer. He has a weekly heavy rock column for Blogcritics.com (as Marty Dodge), and has written
a piece on the state of the music business for the Economic Resource Council (UK) and the Conpetitive Enterprise Institute
(US). His blog, Dodgeblogium (www.andrewiandodge.com) has been described as:
"…bloggers who combine a taste for heavy metal music with a taste for heavy metal politics…"
Dennis Sewell on BBC-R4

Reactions to And Glory:

"She is quite possibly the only gorgeous time bomb in the world.” His
“quote of the year.” “Closing fight sequence would make good telly!” - Dr Lee
Rotherham author of Ten Years On.
"Nightmare vision of the future, which suddenly seems frighteningly
close in light of recent developments. I was relieved when I put it down and
I realized it hasn’t (quite) happened yet. Has made me redouble my efforts
as UKIP London chairman for the forthcoming UK elections.” - Paul Kevin
Wiffen, Cannes winning filmmaker & pianist to the Cannes’ most famous
attendees.
"Andrew Ian Dodge shows a pretty believable version of this future,
where a European mandarin uses the inefficient bureaucratic juggernaut to
further his own dark designs, killing anyone standing in his way. The highly
entertaining plot turns and twists through the dark corners of the empire,
making the book a worthy reading, so I wouldn’t spoil it for you by telling
more. Just to mention the active participation of two attractive female cyborgs
to whet your appetites… So go and buy the book!” - Snoopy the Goon on
Amazon.com
And Glory available from Amazon and BN.com

22
P o l y g l o t
Bits and Pieces from Mongoose Publishing
Latest News From Planet Mongoose
We have just posted some new items in Planet Mongoose,
covering releases that will be appearing at Gen Con, and
some other projects we are currently working on. You can
get the latest news at http://blog.mongoosepublishing.co.uk/
Secrets of the Ancients Adventure 2
We have just posted the second part of the grand Secrets
of the Ancients campaign on our web site. This epic ten-part
campaign is free to download and you can grab it from;
™
http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/
home/detail.php?qsID=1843

Mega-City Archives 3: Lawbreakers

Empires
Every hero needs a
villain, and Mega-City One A huge resource
has had more than its fair by RuneQuest maestro
share. This tome details the Lawrence Whittaker,
baddest, meanest, and just Empires is a complete
plain nastiest perps ever guide on founding, growing
to trouble the city, with and running your own
a complete rendition of empire. Whether you are
their crimes and atrocities. a single knight responsible
From the Angel Gang to for a border keep and a
P J Maybe, Lawbreakers village or part of a huge
features inside information dynasty in command of
and glossy artwork a continent sprawling
throughout. empire, Empires contains
For more information, everything you need to
please visit http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/home/ know about taming the
detail.php?qsID=1800 wilderness, building castles,
governing populations, and
trading or waging war with
your neighbours. Leave your own mark on the game world by
building an impregnable society.
LBB 3: Scout Updating the original RuneQuest Empires supplement
and adding a great deal of new information on running your
The Little Black Books return! Harking back to the own dynasty, Empires features everything you need to create
original release of Traveller in the 70’s, the Little Black Books and master your own dominion.
from Mongoose bring the latest version of Traveller to your For more information, please visit http://www.
gaming table in a handy and collectible pocket size. mongoosepublishing.com/home/detail.php?qsID=1799
Scout is a detailed expansion for the Traveller game,
and continues the line of core books expanding the main
rules to give you more options, and depth of play. This book
is dedicated to Scout characters, providing them with new
career options, equipment, and detailed exploration rules.
Characters will be able to scan planets and asteroids to gain
a wealth of detail about their surroundings, survive in the Matthew Sprange
harshest environments, and explore mysterious worlds in the
furthest depths of space - literally going where no one has Mongoose Publishing
been before! Tel: +44 (0)1793 434488 Fax:+44 (0)1793 497999
For more information, please visit http://www. Mob: +44 (0)7891 624298
mongoosepublishing.com/home/detail.php?qsID=1810 http://www.mongoosepublishing.com

23
P o l y g l o t
STAR FLEET ALERT
12 JULY 2010
NEXT RELEASES
™
federation commander MINIATURES
Miniatures for FC: War & Peace.
Three more of our hot-selling
Squadron Box series with the ships
for the latest module.
Squadron Box #28 has five
Vudar ships, SKU 4328, $34.95.
Squadron Box #29 has five ISC
ships, SKU 4329, $34.95.
Squadron Box #30 has seven
Andro ships, SKU 4330, $34.95.
Each box includes ships
matched to FC: War & Peace.

First Time Available:

VUDAR SHIPS
Straight from the pages of FC: War &
Peace, these ships have long been de-
manded by fans of Star Fleet Battles. These
are the most detailed ships we have done!
Vudar CA, SKU 1707, $8.95
Vudar Warships (three-pack: CW, DW,
FW), SKU 1709, $19.95
The Vudar DN (SKU 1705, $9.95) is avail- CA CW DW FW
able separately by special order. Heavy War War War
All five ships are in Squadron Box #28. Cruiser Cruiser Destroyer Frigate

For Shipment on 19 July 2010 WHOLESALERS

Please send orders when ready.
GAMERS
Pre-order from your store now. RETAILERS
We will ship mail orders on 26 July 2010. Order from your wholesaler now!

CONTACT
Amarillo Design Bureau, Inc. PO Box 8759, Amarillo TX 79114 PH: (806)-351-1950
To order products, contact Sales@StarFleetGames.com
To receive these Alerts, contact Marketing@StarFleetGames.com
See our updated website: www.StarFleetGames.com

24
P o l y g l o t
Out This Week - Sex, Dice and Gamer Chicks!
We have a very special book hitting the shelves of your
local gaming store this week - Sex, Dice and Gamer Chicks!
A serious candidate for funniest gaming book of the
year - When Jonny Nexus (The Jonny Nexus Experience and
Game Night) and James Desborough (The Munchkin’s Guide
to Power Gaming) come together to cast an irreverant eye on ™
gamers, expect weirdness and much hilarity!
Sex, Dice and Gamer Chicks casts an introspective and
irreverent eye onto gamers themselves. Just what drives a
rules lawyer? What are the secrets to fame, success and riches
as an all-star games designer? Are female gamers weird?
These questions and many others are ignored as Sex,
Dice and Gamer Chicks tweaks and teases apart the very
fabric of gaming and those who call themselves gamers.
Written by James Desborough and Jonny Nexus, both World-
class Gaming Personalities themselves, Sex, Dice and Gamer
Chicks will have you in stitches from beginning to end!
Essential reading for gamers, gamer spouses, gamer
family members and gamer widows - provided they have a
sense of humour.
You can find more details at http://www.
mongoosepublishing.com/home/detail.php?qsID=1815

Matthew Sprange

Mongoose Publishing
Tel: +44 (0)1793 434488 Fax:+44 (0)1793 497999 Mob:
+44 (0)7891 624298
http://www.mongoosepublishing.com

25
P o l y g l o t
Savage Mojo Presents Noir Knights Release Month
The creators of the Suzerain universe, Savage Mojo,
would like to announce the release of our newest Savage
Suzerain book, Noir Knights!
Noir Knights, set in 1930s America, is part of our
American Grit realm. You will be able to experience the Great
Depression as your heroic ranked characters investigate
paranormal activity across a hard-boiled film noir America!
Since we’re really excited about
our noir book, we’ve put together an
entire month of activities so you can
celebrate the release with us starting
Saturday, July 17th! Here are a few
things you can look forward to:
•  A 25% discount off of Noir Knights
via Twitter, Facebook, the Savage
•  Mojo. forums and our newsletter,
Mojo Matters.
•  Noir Knights freebies in our Treasure
Chest.
•  Weekly contests for 4 entire weeks
plus a grand prize drawing.
•  And more!
There will be two very special
features in this month long
promotion! The first will be a special
contest prize. One of the weekly
contest winners will have a chance to
win a Noir Knights character drawn
live by James Denton! The other will
be an interview by Noir Knights artist Chaz Kemp.
So make sure to mark your calendars for July 17th and
keep an eye on the Savage Mojo site for more information
on Noir Knights events. We really want you to be part of this
special occasion!
For more information about Noir Knights or our special
promotion, please contact us at news@savagemojo.com.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Savage Mojo was formed under the name ‘Talisman
Studios’ in 2003 as an art and design studio to the adventure
26
games industry, the brainchild of master artists Jason
Engle and Aaron Acevedo. The studio is an Origins Award
Winner (for Deadlands Reloaded), and has worked on
hundreds of products. In May 2007 the company stepped
up a gear, becoming a publisher in its own right, starting
™
with its Gamescapes line of game accessories and building
up to the launch of Suzerain. 2008 saw the company work
on more than a hundred high art
gaming products, with Suzerain
being Origins Award semi-finalists.
2009 expanded the range of books
and game accessories further and
brought products to print for the
first time. 2010 sees Savage Mojo in
game shops everywhere through a
partnership with Cubicle 7.
Suzerain is a multi-genre, multi-
world game universe, Origins Award
nominated in 2008. Ron Blessing
of The Game’s The Thing (www.
thegamesthething.com) had this to
say about it, “I can’t wait to spend
time in this playground. As a whole
it’s awesome. Suzerain can be as
simple or detailed as the players
and GM want. The art is absolutely
gorgeous. Hopefully it’s obvious I'm
pretty high on this product. Wow.
Just wow.” Suzerain is available for
the award-winning Savage Worlds
rules system (see http://bit.ly/
SavageSuzerainPlayNowForFree to try it out), and as a free
download using its own Mojo Rules! system (from http://bit.
ly/SuzerainMojo).
For more details on this or any Savage Mojo topic, contact
Savage Mojo at:
Web Site: www.savagemojo.com
Email: hello@savagemojo.com
www.savagemojo.com/tiki-forums.php
www.twitter.com/savagemojo
www.facebook.com/suzerain.rpg
www.suzerain.info
P o l y g l o t
2010 ENnie Award Nominees
Fan Award for Best Publisher Best Cover Art Best Writing

•  0one Games
•  Alluria Publishing
•  Arkenstone Publishing
•  Bad Axe Games
•  Basic Action Games
•  Bat in the Attic Games
•  Catalyst Game Labs
•  Chaosium
•  Crafty Games
•  Creative Mountain Games
•  Cubicle 7 Entertainment
•  Dias Ex Machina
•  Evil Hat Productions
•  Fantasy Flight Games
•  Fat Dragon Games
•  Goblinoid Games
•  Green Ronin
•  Hero Games
•  Irregular Magazine
•  Jon Brazer Enterprises
•  Kenzer & Company
•  Lamentations of the Flame Princess
•  Malhavoc Press
•  Margaret Weiss Productions
•  Mongoose Publishing
•  Mythmere Games
•  Open Design
•  Paizo Publishing
•  Pelgrane Press
•  Pied Piper Publishing
•  Pinnacle Entertainment Group
•  Posthuman Studios
•  Privateer Press
•  Radioactive Ape Designs
•  Reality Blurs
•  Red Brick Limited
•  SSDC
•  Stardust Publications
•  Steve Jackson Games
•  Triple Ace Games
•  Vajra Enterprises
•  Valhalla Role Players
•  Warmaster Playtest Group
•  Wizards of the Coast
•  Eclipse Phase (Catalyst Game Labs &
Posthuman Studios)
•  Pathfinder Bestiary (Paizo Publishing)
•  Rogue Trader Core Rulebook (Fantasy™
Flight Games)
•  Trail of Cthulhu: Rough Magicks
(Pelgrane Press)
•  WFRP: The Gathering Storm (Fantasy
Flight Games)
•  Honorable Mention: Star Wars: The
Unknown Regions (Wizards of the
Coast)
Best Interior Art
•  Escape from Tentacle City (Willow
Palecek)
•  Pathfinder Core Rulebook (Paizo
Publishing)
•  Rogue Trader Core Rulebook (Fantasy
Flight Games)
•  Shadowrun - 20th Anniversary Ed.
(Catalyst Game Labs)
•  Warhammer Fantasy RPG (Fantasy
Flight Games)
•  Honorable Mention: Hero 6th Edition
(Hero Games)
Best Cartography
•  Aces and Eights: Judas Crossing
(Kenzer & Company)
•  Dungeon of Terror Virtual Box Set
(0one Games)
•  Maps of Mastery: Swamp Caves
(Maps of Mastery)
•  Pathfinder City Map Folio (Paizo
Publishing)
•  Revenge of the Giants (Wizards of the
Coast)
•  Honorable Mention: Death Frost
Doom (Lamentation of the Flame
Princess)
•  Eclipse Phase (Catalyst Game Labs &
Posthuman Studios)
•  FantasyCraft (Crafty Games)
•  How We Came to Live Here (Galileo
Games)
•  Kerberos Club (Cubicle 7)
•  Victoriana 2nd Edtion (Cubicle 7)
•  Honorable Mention: Colonial Gothic
(Rogue Games)
Best Production Values
•  Eclipse Phase (Catalyst Game Labs &
Posthuman Studios)
•  Pathfinder Core Rulebook (Paizo
Publishing)
•  Rogue Trader Core Rulebook (Fantasy
Flight Games)
•  Shadowrun - 20th Anniversary Ed.
(Catalyst Game Labs)
•  Warhammer Fantasy RPG (Fantasy
Flight Games)
•  Honorable Mention: Mysteries of the
Hollow Earth (Exile Game Studio)
Best Rules
•  Atomic Highway (Radioactive Ape
Designs)
•  BASH Ultimate Edition (Basic Action
Games)
•  Diaspora (VSCA)
•  Hero 6th Edition (Hero Games)
•  Wild Talents 2nd Edition (Cubicle 7)
•  Honorable Mention: Earthdawn 3rd
Edition, Player’s Guide (RedBrick LLC)
Best Adventure
•  The Grinding Gear (Lamentations of
the Flame Princess)
•  Pathfinder AP#31: Stolen Land (Paizo
Publishing)
•  A Song of Ice and Fire: Peril at King’s

Continued on next paage

27
P o l y g l o t
Landing (Green Ronin)
•  Trail of Cthulhu: The Armitage Files
(Pelgrane Press)
•  WFRP: The Gathering Storm (Fantasy
Flight Games)
•  Honorable Mention: Trail of Cthulhu:
Shadows over Filmland (Pelgrane
Press)
Best Monster or Adversary
•  Aces and Eights: Rustlers & Townsfolk
(Kenzer and Company)
•  Hellfrost Bestiary (Cubicle 7)
•  Pathfinder Bestiary (Paizo Publishing)
•  Pathfinder: Classic Horrors Revisited
(Paizo Publishing)
•  Supernatural: Guide to the Hunted
(Margaret Weis Productions)
•  Honorable Mention: Fey Folio: The
Unseelie Court (Alluria Publishing)
Best Setting
•  Day After Ragnarok (Atomic
Overmind Press)
•  Goblin Markets (White Wolf
Publishing)
•  Kerberos Club (Cubicle 7)
•  Judge Dredd (Mongoose Publishing)
•  Rome: Life and Death of the Republic
(Cubicle 7)
•  Honorable Mention: Shadowrun:
Seattle 2072 (Catylst Game Labs)
Best Supplement
•  Lucha Libre Hero (Hero Games)
•  Mysteries of the Hollow Earth (Exile
Game Studio)
•  Nobis: The City-States (Pantheon
Press)
•  Player’s Handbook 3 (Wizards of the
Coast)
•  Rebellion Era Campaign Guide
(Wizards of the Coast)
•  Honorable Mention: Cthulhutech:
Damnation View (WildFire)
Continued from previous page
Best Aid or Accessory (Paizo Publishing)
•  Shambles (A Terrible Idea)
•  Battlegraph Dry Erase Boards •  Honorable Mention: Fey Folio: The
(Longtooth Studios) Unseelie Court (Alluria Publishing)
•  Campaign Coins (King of the Castle
Games & Paizo Publishing)
•  Gaming Paper (Gaming Paper) ™ Best Free Product
•  Hero Lab v3.6 (Lone Wolf
•  Advanced Players Guide Playtest
Development)
(Paizo Publishing)
•  Pathfinder GM Screen (Paizo
Publishing) •  Combat Advantage #15 (Emerald
•  Honorable Mention: A Song of Ice Press)
and Fire Narrator’s Kit (Green Ronin) •  Lady Blackbird (one.seven Design)
•  Warriors Adventure Game
Best Miniatures product (HarperCollins Children’s Books)
•  Wayfinder #1 (Paizo Fans United)
•  Alkemy Minis (Kraken Editions) •  Honorable Mention: Hexographer
•  D&D Minis (Wizards of the Coast) (Inkwell Ideas)
•  Fortress of Redemption (Games
Workshop) Best Web site
•  Gaming Paper (Gaming Paper)
•  Maps of Mastery: Swamp Caves •  d20PFSRD.com
(Maps of Mastery)
•  Epic Words
•  Honorable Mention: Battlegraph Dry
•  Obsidian Portal
Erase Boards (Longtooth Studios)
•  Pathfinder Wiki
Best Regalia •  Pen & Paper Games
•  Honorable Mention: Hexographer
•  Battletech: 25 Years of Art and Fiction
(Catalyst Game Labs) Best Podcast
•  Buried Tales of Pine Box, Texas (12 to
Midnight) •  All Games Considered
•  Cthulhu 101 (Atomic Overmind Press) •  Atomic Array
•  Grind (Privateer Press) •  NewbieDM.com Minicast
•  Three Dragon Ante: Emperor’s •  Open Design
Gambit (Wizards of the Coast) •  Power Source
•  Honorable Mention: Best of All Flesh •  Honorable Mention: The Gamer’s
(Elder Signs Press
Haven Podcast
Best Electronic Book
Best Blog
•  The Great City Player’s Guide (0one
Games) •  Critical Hits
•  Heroes of the Jade Oath BETA (Rite •  Gnome Stew
Publishing) •  Kobold Quarterly
•  To Kill Or Not To Kill (Rite Publishing) •  NewbieDM.com
•  Pathfinder Society Scenario #29: The •  One Geek to Another
Devil We Know Part 1: Shipyard Rats •  Honorable Mention: Sarah Darkmagic
Continued on next page
28
P o l y g l o t
Best Game
•  Dragon Age: Set 1 (Green Ronin)
•  Hero 6th Edition (Hero Games)
•  Pathfinder (Paizo Publishing)
•  Shadowrun - 20th Anniversary Ed.
(Catalyst Game Labs)
•  Wild Talents 2nd Edition (Cubicle 7)
•  Honorable Mention: Labyrinth Lord
(Goblinoid Games)
Dark Sword Miniatures News – 6 new greens posted
We have six new greens posted up
on the Dark Sword site for your viewing
pleasure.
All six are from the very talented
Mr. Jeff Grace.
1. Ser Ilyn Payne from the GRRM
Masterworks line.
2. Male Cleric from the Easley
Masterworks line.
Product of the Year
•  Doctor Who (Cubicle 7)
•  Dragon Age: Set 1 (Green Ronin)
•  Eclipse Phase (Catalyst Game Labs &
Posthuman Studios)
•  Geist the Sin-Eaters (White Wolf
Publishing) ™ •  Honorable
•  Kerberos Club (Cubicle 7)
•  Pathfinder (Paizo Publishing)
•  Rome: Life and Death of the Republic
(Cubicle 7)
3. Female Blind Warrior from the
Visions in Fantasy line.
4. Female Wood Elf Warrior from
the Visions in Fantasy line.
5. Male Wood Elf Warrior/Archer
from the Visions in Fantasy line.
6. Male Dark Elf Warrior (Dual Wield
to boot) from the Visions in
Fantasy line.
29
Continued from previous page
•  Shadowrun - 20th Anniversary Ed.
(Catalyst Game Labs)
•  Warhammer Fantasy RPG (Fantasy
Flight Games)
•  Wild Talents 2nd Edition (Cubicle 7)
Mention: FantasyCraft
(Crafty Games)
•  Honorable Mention: Savage Suzerain
(Cubicle 7)
These releases will for sure be at
Gen Con Indy in 30 short days…If I can
get them released sooner, I will do so.
We have six new critters I just got
master castings on as well. Lots of fun
stuff getting pulled together for the
grandest gaming convention of them all
- Gen Con Indy.
We also have the new Game Forces
# 17 magazine here and in stock. This is
the English Edition. It has even cooler
articles than issues # 16 in my opinion.
These are total painter magazines with
cover to cover minis. They are amazing
inspiration.
Swing on by the Dark Sword site to
check out the new sculpts and have a
great week everyone!
Warm Regards,
Jim
www.DarkSwordMiniatures.com
P o l y g l o t
IPG releases “Knock Down, Drag Out"
Interaction Point Games (IPG) proudly releases “Knock,
Down, Drag Out: The Wild West Saloon Fighting Game"!
Let Loose in Cowskull Gulch!
"Knock Down, Drag Out” is a fast playing card game
recreating the hectic free for all in a wild west saloon fight.
Three to ten players take turns punching, kicking and ™
scrapping for victory, all trying to be the last bar patron
standing when the dust settles.
"Knock Down, Drag Out” (IPG0002) be purchased from
www.interactionpoint.com for $14.99. While at the site you
can download the “Knock Down, Drag Out” rulesheet,
browse the IPG Wiki, and join the discussion on the IPG
forum.
"Knock Down, Drag Out” is printed in the USA.
Interaction Point Games, LLC is a new game company
based in Robbinsdale, MN. We have more card games in the
works plus a line of Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Compatible
products based in an alternate past Earth, known the
“Kingdoms of Legend” series.
Pathfinder and associated marks and logos are trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC, and are used
under license. See paizo.com/pathfinderRPG for more information on the Pathfinder Roleplaying
Game.

30
P o l y g l o t
Gorilla Games to Release “Lifeboat” 3rd Edition in August
Gorilla Games is proud to announce the publication of the 3rd edition of Jeff Siadek’s “Lifeboat” in August of 2010.
“Lifeboat” was originally nominated for an Origins Award in 2008.
This latest edition of “Lifeboat”
comes in a 7”x4”x1” telescoping
box with a rulesheet, 90 cards,
plastic markers and wooden birds. ™
Adrift at sea with your secret
love, hated enemy and a few other
shady characters. You squabble for
loot and provisions while rowing
for shore and hoping you don’t fall
overboard.

“Diplomacy in an hour.”
Tom Vasel,
boardgamegeek.com
review

Lifeboat is a character card

game where players take on a role
with hidden goals.
Two supplements;
“Cannibalism” and the all new
“Liquid Courage” are scheduled for release in September and October respectively. These supplements will have ten cards
each and add a new character and some new fun stuff to the game.

Product code ooc1002

MSRP $19.95 U.S.
For further information, contact:

Jeff Siadek

310 994-5189
jeff@siadek.com

31
P o l y g l o t
News from Forge World
Forge World Customer Service now available on Saturdays
We are pleased to announce that the Forge World
Customer Service Team is now available on Saturdays as well
as Monday to Friday, via telephone and e-mail. Tris, Simon
or Ead are on hand from 9am to 5pm (UK time) to offer help
and advice on anything from placing your very first
Forge World order to how best to prepare a Titan
for assembly and painting.
Just call 0115 916 8177 within the UK; 011
44 115 916 8177 from the US and Canada; or 00
44 115 916 8177 from much of Europe and the
team will be pleased to assist you.
Warhammer Monsters Available Now
The Warhammer World is a grim place; a
land of towering mountains and shadowy forests that
are home to all manner of foul and dark beasts.
Fire Dragons and Giants march to war
alongside, the armies of many races and
their sheer power can break the back of
mighty regiments in minutes.
The Chaos Wastes are
home to even more terrifying
the Dark Gods manifest their
will in the form of the hideous Greater
Daemons of Khorne, Tzeentch, Nurgle and Slaanesh, while
the brutal tribes of the Khazak have for generations ridden
to war upon fell War Mammoths. Hideous Chaos Beasts and
Spawn shamble across this nightmare land, and when the
tribes of Chaos unite against the lands of men, they drive
such twisted creatures before them
as sacrificial targets for the enemy to
waste shot and shell upon.
The savage warriors of the Ogre
Kingdoms often field thunderous Rhinox
Cavalry - particularly powerful Bull
warriors venture deep into the
mountains to bludgeon a Rhinox
into submission before taking it
as a mount. These Ogre Bulls band
together into loose units, led by
the biggest and strongest of the Ogres who takes the title
Thunderlord.
The full range of Forge World’s Warhammer monsters
can be found here, and in light of the new edition we have
compiled the rules for many of these mighty resin kits into a
new Downloads section that you can find here.
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Warhammer Scenery
Forge World’s range of finely detailed Warhammer Scenery
has come into its own with the release of the new edition.
Expanded Cottagerules for all types of terrain features allow
™
your wizards to channel additional magical energy through
a High Elf Monolith, while Orcs and
Goblins can draw courage from Orc
Totems dedicated to Gork (or
possibly Mork). The
Empire, bastion of
courage and honour,
is dotted with small
settlements and
towns, and expanded
rules for buildings and
Arcane Architecture mean that
Watchtowers are even more useful in your
games, while our range of Walls, Cannon
and Mortar Emplacements and Earthworks represent many
of the different types of obstacles detailed in the extensive
Terrain section of the new rulebook.
Forge World Events News
Forge World will be attending Games Day Baltimore on
August 21st. The Reservation period has now closed for this
exciting event but if you have any specific requests or queries
please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Forge World will also be attending Games Day UK on
September 26th, keep an eye on forthcoming newsletters for
more information about our stands at this event as we have
plenty up our sleeves
Forge World
Games Workshop Ltd
Willow Road, Lenton
Nottingham, NG7 2WS
Registered in England & Wales Company Registration Number 01467092
Phone: 0115 916 8177
Fax: 0115 916 8044
Web site: http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/
Copyright © Games Workshop Limited 2000-2010. Games Workshop, the Games Workshop logo,
GW, Forge World, the Forge World logo, Warhammer, the Warhammer logo, Warhammer 40,000,
the Warhammer 40,000 logo, the Aquila logo, 40K, Citadel, the Citadel Device, and all associated
marks, logos, names, places, characters, creatures, races and race insignia, illustrations and images
are either ®, TM and/or © Games Workshop Ltd 2000-2010, variably registered in the UK and other
countries around the world. All Rights Reserved.
P o l y g l o t
Margaret Weis Productions announces their new
Preferred Retailer Program!
This initiative includes FREE PDFs of all purchases (current and pre-order
releases) at any brick and mortar location, special incentives for customers,
as well as a listing on MWP’s Store ™
Locator found at
www.margaretweis.com.
Williams Bay, WI — Margaret Weis Productions (MWP) wants to drive business and
sales to and through brick and mortar locations. Their Preferred Retailer Program is just
one way they are accomplishing this initiative. MWP admits it’s still a work in progress and
openly asks to hear from the retailing community on what works best in individual
stores.
MWP aren’t the first to offer free electronic copies of their current and pre-ordered
product to retailers, but they see the Preferred Retailer Program as a positive move
forward in this type of partnership. Participating stores receive a pre-printed card to
include with any Margaret Weis Productions sale. The card instructs customers on
how to contact Margaret Weis Productions through their site and provides a code
unique to the individual retailer. Stores that agree to participate in this program are
added to the Margaret Weis Productions Store Locator found on their site!
MWP plans to provide retailers with special incentives to encourage gamers to
buy from their local game store based on what works best for customers. Special Margaret Weis Productions game nights are
launching around the country where people can come to a store, play MWP games like SUPERNATURAL, SMALLVILLE, and
LEVERAGE, and receive a special promo item, coupon and/or discounts based on the game or games being run. These special
incentives are only offered to participating retailers.
With the SMALLVILLE ROLEPLAYING GAME due out in time for Gen Con in August, the LEVERAGE ROLEPLAYING
GAME arriving close on its heels, and new product for SUPERNATURAL this fall, Margaret Weis Productions continues to
reach out to the industry that supports them.
For further information please contact Christi Cardenas by email, or give her a call at 715.629.9277.

33
 2 Live Betas: Race the World & Fight for Honor!
The open beta to the most exciting, massive, multiplayer racing game had begun and you’re invited. Meet friends, make
enemies, and make a name for yourself in heart-pounding action.

•  $20 Worth of speedboost

•  Exclusive speedhunters toyota™ Corolla AE86
•  Exclusive beta access
•  One-week head start with increased XP rewards
•  VIP driver profile status

Join Beta • Learn More • Pre-Order

34
 From GamaSutra
Robot Entertainment Developing PC RTS Spartan for
Microsoft Game Studios
Veterans of shuttered Age of Empires house Ensemble Studios are
working with Microsoft once again – Robot Entertainment, a studio founded
by former Ensemble employees, is developing a new strategy IP for the
company that closed their old studio down.
Consumer weblog Kotaku discovered that an upcoming strategy game
with the working title of “Spartan” is apparently in development at Robot, to
be published by Microsoft. Robot’s newly-relaunched web site also confirms
it’s at work on a game to be published by Microsoft Game Studios.
After Microsoft closed Ensemble following the launch of Halo Wars,
CEO Tony Goodman formed Robot with a staff of 45 other Ensemble vets. It
continued to work with Microsoft, however, providing ongoing support for
Halo Wars as it began work on its own IP – likely the project revealed here.
No further details have been officially revealed about Spartan beyond
what’s purportedly a launcher screen with a cartoonish art style. Shortly
after its founding, Robot said it was using Trinigy’s Vision Engine in the
development of its unannounced IP. Vision Engine has also been licensed by
Blue Byte, developer of RTS franchise Settlers.

Open meeting at Casual Connect AND Openings for

Steering Committee Members
OPEN MEETING AT CASUAL CONNECT

We will be having an open meeting of the Casual SIG Steering Committee at Casual Connect at 9:00 AM on Thursday
July 22 in the Founders Room (one of the small rooms on the first floor of Benaroya Hall). I'm hoping to do three things at
this meeting:

1. Conduct the regular monthly status meeting of the Steering Committee. We will be getting updates on:
•  Posting the first podcast and planning the second
•  Migrating useful content links from the old IGDA site to the new one
•  Getting the postmortem initiative rolling
2. Hear from YOU, the members of the community at large, about what new initiatives you would like to see from the SIG next
year. I really, really want your ideas on how the SIG can serve you - especially in ways that are different from the ways that the
Casual Games Association (CGA/Casual Connect) serves you.
3. Give you a chance to hear from candidates for new Steering Committee members.

35
 Tech news from ZDNet
Homeland Security blocks Web sites with ‘controversial
opinions’
If you read the headline above, it seems like Homeland
Security is about to become the “thought police” for
Americans going online.
READ FULL STORY
Microsoft Office 2010: What’s still missing?
Office 2010 is out in the market, on Microsoft’s volume
license price lists and installed (at least in Office Starter form)
on many new PCs out there.
READ FULL STORY
Right to broadband: like access to electricity, water?
When it comes to broadband as a legal right, maybe
Finland has it right.
READ FULL STORY
Apple opens up about iPhone 4 reception problems
Following complaint after complaint regarding the
iPhone 4’s reception issues, Apple has finally opened up and
started giving some real answers. It turns out it is a software
issue.
READ FULL STORY
FOSS vs. open source as an American debate
Open source, in contrast to FOSS, accepts the idea that
people might build proprietary extensions to open source
programs.
READ FULL STORY
Google sets sights on skies with acquisition of flight info
site
Google will acquire a flight information software
company - but it has no plans to get into the airline ticket
sales business. This is all about search.
READ FULL STORY
The truth Steve Jobs cannot hide from
It’s past time for Steve Jobs to look beyond himself,
and for Apple to look beyond Steve Jobs. Failure to do so is
36
hurting the company, and could yet destroy it.
READ FULL STORY
Top 10 cities with the worst commute, global edition
Beijing, Mexico City and Johannesburg are the cities in
the world with the worst commutes. Here’s a list of the Top
10 and Top 20.
READ FULL STORY
Does Dell deserve its tarnished reputation over faulty PCs?
These appear to be the dark days for Dell, though we
still haven’t heard the company’s take on a court ruling over
faulty computers sold into the enterprise some 5-7 year ago.
READ FULL STORY
Edu netbook shootout, Round 1
These would still represent compromises in many
ways vs. traditional notebooks. However, portability and
durability make them well-suited to a variety of educational
environments.
READ FULL STORY
The IT dirty bomb
We pretend, as a figure of speech, that computers can
catch viruses - they can’t; but they can harbor parasites and
there’s more than one way those can destroy your business.
READ FULL STORY
5 great $100 PC upgrades
I get a continuous flow of emails from readers asking me
about the best bang for the buck PC upgrades. Let’s look at a
handful of $100 PC upgrades that can add a new lease of life
to your existing system.
READ FULL STORY
Will you know your doctor tomorrow?
Productivity drives progress. Productivity means doing
more work with fewer people, or less well-trained people.
Technology enables this. Why should doctors be immune?
READ FULL STORY
 From GamaSutra
DJ Hero Sells 1.2M Units Despite Early Sales Concerns
Despite early sales performance that failed to meet analysts’ initial
expectations, FreeStyleGames’ DJ Hero has sold around 1.2 million units in
North America, says publisher Activision.
Following its release late last October, the game performed “modestly”
at retail – some analyst projections had thought the game would move 1.6
million units in its first quarter alone – and contributed to concerns that the
music genre was on a permanent downward slide.
But according to Activision’s company blog One Of Swords, the game’s
sales continued steadily after launch, in part due to strong reviews that
praised the game’s strong soundtrack and uniqueness after a slate of guitar-
based games.
"What it needed was time for its audience to find it, a price break, and
positive word from both friends and reviews to circulate,” wrote Activision’s
Dan Amrich.
The post came in the context of a defense of Bizarre Creations’ racing
game Blur, another new Activision franchise that got off to a slow start.
According to tracking firm NPD, the game sold only 31,000 units in the
United States this May. Amrich said it’s still “way, way too early to call Blur
a failure by any measure."
And while DJ Hero game’s unit sales might not have topped any year-end charts, Activision said earlier this year that the
game represented the highest revenue for any new intellectual property in 2009.

Related news:

•  Bizarre Developing New James Bond Title Blood Stone

•  Activision Publishing CEO: ‘We Need To Correct’ Hardcore Reputation
•  Advertising Veteran Eric Hirshberg To Head Activision’s Publishing Division

37
 News from GameIndustry.com
Reviews

Blur
Blur is appropriately named, as it blurs the lines between combat,
racing and realism. In a lot of ways, it’s like a cart racing title for grownups,
but its true strength is multiplayer, where up to 20 players can go head
to head online.
http://www.gameindustry.com/review/item.asp?id=1217

Split/Second
We kick off Racing Week here at GiN with Split/Second, a title that
brings insane combat racing to the next level. See how it compares with
Blur, and classic titles like Burnout 3. And believe us, when Split/Second
goes crazy, it really tips the scale.
http://www.gameindustry.com/review/item.asp?id=1215

Red Steel 2
Rebooting a beloved series has many advantages and pitfalls, as
the Wii’s Wild West crime-fighting game Red Steel 2 proves many times
over. The controls are amazing now with the extra WiiMotion add-on,
but the storyline suffers.
http://www.gameindustry.com/review/item.asp?id=1218

Splinter Cell Conviction

Splinter Cell Conviction isn’t like any of the other titles in the series.
This time around, Sam Fisher is totally out for himself, and can use
stealth or run and gun madness to accomplish objectives. While this
might turn off traditionalists, we found this slick game to be more than
worth the money.
http://www.gameindustry.com/review/item.asp?id=1216

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Podcasts

Gaming With Friends

Social gaming on sites like Facebook and MySpace are the next big thing it seems, with some titles like Farm Town and
Mafia Wars rocketing up to over 10 million players. But is this
still a growth market, or has it become overly bloated?
http://www.gameindustry.com/podcast/item.
asp?id=67

It’s the Economy, Stupid

A slow decline on the GiNDex has the Lounge Gang
hitting the panic button this week, yes we really do have
one, and trying to figure out what the heck is going wrong.
Step one: Don’t Panic. Step Two: Panic. And don’t forget to
let us know what you think about this crazy economy at
ginlounge@gameindustry.com.
http://www.gameindustry.com/podcast/item.
asp?id=78

GiN Hardcore

The Best Of Half

With half the year gone, we've got a slew of amazing games, and some that are just as bad as the best ones are good. Todd
ranks the five best and five worst titles of 2010, so far. This year is a bit schizophrenic it seems, hitting us one day with a great
title and the next with an awful one.
http://www.gameindustry.com/editorial/item.asp?id=483

GiN Playmate: An RIP for RPG?

Evolving from pen and paper role-playing games, computer RPGs have always been stat-heavy behemoths. That’s quickly
changing with upcoming titles, for better or worse. Mass Effect 2 many have started the trend, and Fable III plans to follow it.
But will we miss our beloved stats sheets?
http://www.gameindustry.com/editorial/item.asp?id=484

Stock Market: Agh!

Not a good week on the GiNdex as we drop nearly 500 points. Something has to turn this around soon or we will be in
real trouble.
http://www.gameindustry.com/gindex/default.asp
Copyright Game Industry News 2010. Game Industry News and GIN, plus the entire contents of this newsletter are copyright Noble Order Press Enterprises. No part of this newsletter may be reproduced
without express written permission from the publisher, Nate Wooley. publisher@gameindustry.com www.gameindustry.com

39
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